cross border fight. the civil war in syria spills into turkey provoking an immediate response. turkish forces have fired artillery shells across the border into syria. they were retaliating for syrian mortars that landed on a town in southern turkey. the mortars killed five people,

including a woman and her three children. the syrian mortars landed in a turkish town of akcakate. armed forces fired on syria in retaliation. in june syrian forces shot down a turkish warplane. ever since turkish leaders have warned of prompt action if their security was hurt again. turkish military commanders have been building up their forces and deploying tanks along the border. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has condemned syria for the shelling of the turkish town. >> we are outraged that the syrians have been shooting across the border. >> clinton said the u.s. government is consulting with turkey over what she called a very dangerous situation. turkey is a nato ally of the u.s. she called on responsible nations worldwide to push the

syrian government into a cease-fire and political transition of power. emergency workers in syria are doing what they can to hp the wound aftern attack in the city of aleppo. at least three powerful explosions ripped through the center of the commercial capital. they killed more than 30 people. state run tv reports explosions occurred near an officer's club in the northern city. opposition forces are claiming responsibility. they say they used the car bombings to target officers and militias loyal to president bashar al assad. the free syrian army renewed its offensive last week in an effort to win control of aleppo. government forces responded with air strikes. a free syrian army said they mobilized 30,000 troops and 2,000 tanks for the battle. rebel fighters plan to carry out more simultaneous bombing attacks on the military. plummeting value of iran's

currency has triggered rare street clashes in the capital tehran. the protests jai alai growing public frustration with the government. scores of protesters clashed with riot police in the city's main bazaar on wednesday. they demanded the government stop the rial's plunge. it lost 70% of the value in the last year since economic sanctions were imposed by the united states and europe over iran's nuclear program. it's dipped to record lows against the dollar. a money exchanger who witnessed the protest told nhk by phone that the demonstrators were merchants. >> there are no reports yet of injuries. many shops have closed in and around the bazaar. security officers are patrolling

the area. anti-government protests are unusual in iran. a similar riot has erupted in another area of the capital city. japan's foreign minister pledged to step up the battle with china over the senkaku islands. he said japan must more strongly convey its views to the rest of the world. >> translator: japan should objectively explain its stance that the islands are an inherent territory in a lot of historic cal facts and based upon international law. we will strengthen and clarify our position. >> gemba says the measures include running advertisements in overseas newspapers to counter china's claim. the state affiliated china daily faced two-page ads in the "new york times" and "washington post" on september 28th.

the ads refer to the islands as the chinese name for the territory. they accused washington and tokyo of crafting backroom deals to give japan administrative control over the islands. it called the deals illegal and invalid. carmakers from around the world are in china this week taking part in an international automobile show. the strained relations over the senkaku islands have put a dent in japan's participation in the event. the international automobile show opened on wednesday with all the flash and glitter usually associated with car shows. on display are the latest models of 65 u.s., european and asian carmakers. japan's toyota and nissan car companies are among those showing off their newest models, but noticeably absent are other well-known japanese brands, honda, mitsubishi and subaru.

the local car dealers decided not to take part in this year's event following anti-japan unrest in several chinese cities last month. >> translator: i do not want to buy a japanese vehicle due to the senkaku dispute. >> translator: however both countries handle the dispute, i think japanese carmakers should still be participating. >> several chinese car dealers have also postponed their sales campaigns for new models of the japanese vehicles. japanese business leaders are wringing their hands about the economic impact of these tensions. yogi khan joins us now from the business desk. we've heard about these concerns before. what's the lateest? >> we've already heard from some japanese companies about the impact of the political tensions between japan and china and the latest one comes from japan's largest supermarket store chain. the people at japanese supermarket chain aeon say

demonstrators cost almost $9 million in damages to their flagship store in the eastern part of the country. a group of people looted and damaged the supermarket during a rally last month. workers are already trying to repair the store. managers say they expect to re-open in late november. the riots hurt aeon's chain of ministop convenience stores, too. executives say they'll cut the number of planned outlets this year from 70 to 20. still they say they'll continue to expand in china. they say they can't ignore the opportunities in the growing market. europe's major banks have raised about $260 billion in fresh capital during the year to june. that's according to the european banking authority, the eu's banking watchdog. the banking authority released its final report on the recapitalization of europe's banks on wednesday.

responding to the credit crisis, the european union had demanded that 71 major banks raise their ratio of capital against assets to 9% by june. a bank's core capital ratio is seen by markets as a key indicator of its financial health. the authority ss the banks have raised most of the capital through profit reserves or by issuing more stock. it says the increased capital includes eu bailout funds for troubled greek banks. the authority praises the banks for boosting their capital positions. it says this has strengthened the overall resilience of the region's banking system. let's get a check on the markets. u.s. stock prices ended slightly higher as u.s. labor and service sector data came in above the market consensus. the dow jones industria average was up nearly .1% at 13,494. and to see how stocks are trading this thursday, we go to

the tokyo stock exchange. good morning. some encouraging data especially ahead of the first u.s. presidential debate kicking off. what can you tell us? >> thank you very much. very good morning to you. really the u.s. economy in major focus and job creation in the u.s. economy is the number one focus coming up in a lot of the -- in the presidential debates kicking off today. so that's going to be a focus there. and of course, the big focus on the big jobs numbers coming up on friday. but let's have a look to see how the nikkei and topix are kicking off. both margins trading marginally in the positive. 8,774 for the nikkei, and 3730 for the topix, up just .5% in the first almost ten minutes of trading. the nikkei ended lower yesterday for the fourth day in a row due to uncertainties over the u.s. economy, and lot of questions

about china as it remains on holiday for most of this week. we had the private sector employment numbers, adp numbers, out of the u.s. yesterday which was a positive. it did show an increase. and also we had the ism services or non-manufacturing figures as well which did show growth. but the focus really now is on what the fed will do following its move of qe3 or its next stage of quantitative easing depending on this data and upcoming jobs numbers on friday. that's really going to be a big focus for investors regarding u.s. economic data. now the dollar did get a bit of a boost following the data. let's have a look at currency pairs this morning during tokyo stock trading hours. the dollar/yen currently 78.43-44. and the euro/yen, 101.29-34. euro getting a boost there and continues upwards and higher as well. so again, slightly softer yen.

we may get a bit of a boost for exporters. >> let's talk about some domestic factors that -- there are some big concerns also for upcoming earnings here. how are they going to come into play? >> that will be a big focus there. of course a lot of concern for japanese companies given the slowdown in eurozone economies, china and also stuttering growth, if you will, in the u.s. so a lot of sectors, the auto sector, steel, and consumer electronics, heavy construction machinery, all of that is going to come under scrutiny. let's not forget, also, there's been a lot of downgrades of forecasts and downward revisions of the guidance as well so that's a bit of a concern there. and later into the october month we're going to get earnings from japanese companies. but for now, the nikkei and topix slightly in the positive. back to you. >> thank you for that update from the tokyo stock exchange. >> that's all for new in

business news. here's a recap of the latest market figures. officials at japan's nuclear regulation authority say they'll designate fukushima daiichi a special nuclear facility by the end of the month. that will allow them to supervise the decommissioning process. tokyo electric power company is scrapping the facility in line with a plan submitted to the government. the nuclear regulation authority currently has no input.

designating fukushima daiichi as special nuclear facility would allow the nra to prevent the spread of radioactive solution. it could order revisions to the decommissioning process. >> translator: we will do our utmost to ensure a safe decommissioning process, anticipating a wide range of possibilities. >> the nra chair says the decommissioning process is expected to take about 30 years. he notes the nra's only responsible formakering assessments on nuclear safety. he says the authority will not make judgments on whether idled reactors should be allowed to restarted once they meet current standards. japan's top government spokespersonold reporters that the government will decide on restarting idle reactors after their safety has been confirmed by the nra.

>> translator: under our new energy policy, the government plans to allow reactors confirmed safe to be put back into operation. we will explain this policy to the host communities. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead," every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." north korean authorities have been promoting their country to the world even as they remain their guard stance. a top official addressed the ungeneral assembly monday for the first time since kim jong-un took power. he says the new leader has opened the door to a new era.

but it is hard to know what's really happening inside north korea and when you get there, separating reality from ruse can be difficult. >> reporter: we've been visiting the north korean capital, pyongyang, since saturday. we went to a popular new attraction on tuesday. staff at this aquarium say this dolphin show started in the summer. the highlight is a dance sequence involving a woman and dolphins. the performance is the first of its kind in north korea. >> translator: it's a great fun. >> translator: it's the first time i've seen the dolphins up close. it was exciting. >> reporter: excitement and fun are what the country's new leader seems to be promoting. kim jong-un created a government agency responsible for overseeing theme parks. experts say he's trying to define himself as a caring leader.

the idea is simple. children, adults, even uniformed soldiers who flock to popular spots have a good time, then think of kim. >> translator: it's great. >> marshall kim john ung cares for us as workers. i can't tell you how thankful we are. i feel like i can relieve a whole day's stress by enjoying attractions here. >> reporter: it's not just rides. it's restaurants, too. north korean officials want the world to know their country is changing. this newly opened italian restaurant offers 11 different types of pizza. it's popular with locals, and it's also attracting tourists. >> in the western media you don't see stuff like this, so it's really interesting. >> reporter: people in north korea are currently enjoying a traditional holiday period. they take time to honor their

ancestors and relax, but their leader is never far from their minds. >> comrade kim jong-un is devoting himself to running the country to better its people's lives. we're enjoying the holiday, praising kim jong-un and the workers party. >> reporter: the people we met make up a small percentage of the population. north korean authorities only allow foreign media to interact with those who are well off. u.n. world food program representatives estimate 60 million people, or 70%, of the population are not getting enough food. heavy rains and several typhoons this summer have made the situation worse, and they expect north koreans mainly in rural areas will face a severe food shortage this coming winter. improving the standard of living

across the country is one of kim jong-un's many challenges. although unlike amusement parks or restaurants, he and his officials aren't keen to show or talk about that side of life inside their nation. nhk world, pyongyang. many people from japan and south korea are determined not to allow the ongoing row over disputed islands in the sea of japan to spoil cross cultural ties. at a festival in seoul, people from the two countries enjoyed meeting up and learning about each other's cultures. the annual festival began in 2005 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between japan and south korea. traditional performing arts from both countries represented on stage. some japanese participants come from the regions hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami.

students from a high school played drums. a troupe of hula dancers from a hot spring resort in fukushima also took to the stage. visitors were also attracted to booths where they could try on kimono or learn about sight seeing spots in japan. >> translator: our relationship is not at its best now, so it is all the more important to understand that there are good points as well. we should have more cultural exchanges. >> event organizers say 950 south koreans applied to work as volunteers at the festival. that's the largest number ever. a police officer in philadelphia rushes to the scene of a crime. he doesn't start his investigation by asking questions or inspecting the site. instead, he gets hold of a video

from a security camera, then as quickly as possible, he uploads it to youtube. social media services such as youtube and twitter are changing the way police investigate crimes. >> reporter: this footage comes from a security camera. two children walk by. a man sneaks up. he tries to snatch one of them. but she fights him off and he runs away. soon after the police are called in, they upload the video footage to youtube. they hope viewers will supply the information. >> this is just another tool that we can use that happens. we'll get phone calls, or tips, about hot bad guys are. so it helps. >> minutes after posting the video, the police hear from a person claiming to have seen a man who looks like the suspect.

six hours after the video was posted, a man turns himself in and is arrested. >> for them to make an arrest that quickly was phenomenal. >> american police departments have been using social media for about two years. economic difficulties have forced cities to cut their budgets, so police had to find new ways to investigate crime. >> chilling video. social media works. it is another tool in our arsenal as -- in law enforcement to help solve crime. >> in may, stt police investigated a shooting of five people in a cafe. the suspect got away. only nine minutes after the shooting, police made their first report on twitter. then a police officer at the scene started posting more

details like the suspect's hair color, what he wore, and what kind of a car he used to get away. >> there's a lot of community fearing concern. we wanted to make sure people knew exactly what the police department was doing to keep them safe. >> the los angeles county sheriff's department teaches staff the best way to use social media to solve crime. >> you can go back to those writing classes with the understanding that you've got potential civil, criminal consequences for what you write. >> they warn writers not to use racially charged language. they must never post rumors. the instructor also teaches the importance of good relations with the citizens. >> you have to speak to them when there's not an emergency in order to build a following. so when the crisis happens, that you're there and you're able to help them and they know where to

find you. >> through social media police gain the potential help of thousands of citizens, and as relations between police and the public improve, criminals have less room to maneuver. nhk world, los angeles. >> social media proving to be a helpful crime fighting tool there. let's now get a check on weather conditions around the world. we've been keeping an eye on two storms in the west pacific. yesterday one storm was affecting people in the southern islands of japan. rachel ferguson tells us how the situation is now. >> all right, well that storm you're talking about is maliksi. it is now a tropical storm. it did bring heavy rainfall to some of the southern japanese islands. parts of izu picked up 220 millimeters of rain in the last 24 hours. system is moving up towards the north, it looks like it is going to be moving at a fair clip, about 45 kilometers an hour up towards the north and east.

we are still going to be seeing some significant rainfall from the system. maybe about 100 millimeters or so in places like chiba. those gusts are going to continue to be strong as well. taking a look at our second severe tropical storm, sitting in the south china sea, it's been hovering for the last several days but it now looks like it is going to be moving in a slightly more decided path. we expect landfall on friday local time in southern vietnam, southern to central vietnam. at the moment it is moving slowly but it is expected to intensify as it heads toward vietnam and for the time being it is really helping to enhance the southwest monsoon across surrounding areas, particularly the philippines. luzon's been having some particularly heavy rain over the last couple of days. we're seeing some showers also in southwestern portions of china and another small low is bringing showers to northeastern china and in towards southeastern russia. temperaturewise cooling down to the north, just 12 degrees for

ulan bator. mid 20s in beijing, seoul, as well as shanghai. tokyo 27. still seeing the 30s down into the tropics. heading now to the americas, thunderstorms are going to be on the cards today for the southeastern coast of the u.s. up in towards new england, heavy rain and some strong winds are possible here as well. then we have a winter storm system making its way along the u.s.-canada border. this is going to be bringing precipitation and behind it some very cold air and that spells snow. places like north dakota, into minnesota, you could be waking up to about 15 centimeters of snow. there are watches and warnings in place for you in montana, north dakota, as well as minnesota. meanwhile to the south of the system where it is a bit drier, hard frees warnings for wyoming and south dakota. taking a look at the temperatures, they're already starting to fall away. winnipeg, 5 degrees. fargo, just 3 degrees for the high today. cooler air is going to be

impacting a much larger area of the northeast over the next few days. chicago, 23. we'll drop down to about 12 degrees on thursday. and new york city as well, you'll be dropping down by about ten degrees into the weekend also. still staying in the 30s in miami as well as houston with a warm 26 in los angeles. into europe we go. not much change here in the northwest. we've been seeing a large system just sending front after front into towards scandinavia and the continent. today you'll be finding thunderstorms from norway, swed sweden, down there into northern france. reports of gusts exceeding 70 kilometers an hour in germany. having said that, to the south and east, things are looking much more settled and calm. there are some storms moving through the balkans right now in through the black sea region. some of those could be a little bit nasty with thunder and lightning. temperaturewise, lots of teens out here today across the continent. 12 in stockholm. 18 in moscow. 17 berlin. 22 vienna. out of the 30s now in athens at 29 degrees.

iberia, 25. another fairly comfortable 27 in lisbon. here's your extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm katherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

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